selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv 
2
: highly specific in activity or effect
selective pesticides
selective absorption
Examples of selective in a Sentence
The club is selective in choosing members.
The college has a highly selective admissions process.
Recent Examples on the Web
Professor Philip Cohen of the University of Maryland explained in his analysis that Millennials and Generation X are more selective than previous generations, often choosing to marry later in life.
—
Janae Bowens, Baltimore Sun, 17 Jan. 2025
Additionally, the 2% growth in applications to the most selective institutions (those with admit rates below 25%) was substantially lower than the 8-9% growth seen by institutions that were less selective.
—Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Target has made aggressive moves to attract selective shoppers.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025
So perhaps there was extreme selective pressure at the start, and then the dogs at the power plant just remained separate from the city population.
—Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for selective 
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Janae Bowens, Baltimore Sun, 17 Jan. 2025
Additionally, the 2% growth in applications to the most selective institutions (those with admit rates below 25%) was substantially lower than the 8-9% growth seen by institutions that were less selective.
—Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Target has made aggressive moves to attract selective shoppers.
—Melissa Repko, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2025
So perhaps there was extreme selective pressure at the start, and then the dogs at the power plant just remained separate from the city population.
—Discover Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for selective
Dictionary Entries Near selective
Cite this Entry
“Selective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selective. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv
: of or relating to selection : selecting or tending to select
selective shoppers
Medical Definition
selective
adjective
se·lec·tive
sə-ˈlek-tiv
2
: highly specific in activity or effect
selective pesticides
selective permeability of a plasma membrane
selectively
adverb
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